Used 4th Gen Buying Guide/Advice

[w463]

Hello All,

New to the group, been looking at 4th gens for a couple weeks now. I've seen a few TRD Sports / Off Roads on FB Marketplace with Premium Package going for 43-45ish (private party sellers, 7-20k miles) in my area or a few states over, and am interested at that price. Does this seem too low relative to MSRP? Anything in particular I should be looking or checking for? I'm fairly competent as a DIY mechanic and can do visual inspections, etc. Ideally I'd like to find a Bronze Oxide, but guessing that's going to be harder to come by. Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks!

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[Sagebrush]

with Premium Package going for 43-45ish (private party sellers, 7-20k miles)

So... I paid $51 for my OR with the Premium package, so I don't think the prices are outlandish.

I'd make sure the VINs don't fall under the transmission TSB.

 

[Slappy]

check the evaporation tray under the dashboard , just above the gas petal for cracks OR worse a patch repair in the tray made of black plastic
looks like a waffle

 

[w463]

Trying to figure out how to read that. The VIN for this vehicle is
3TMLB5JN6R

So... I paid $51 for my OR with the Premium package, so I don't think the prices are outlandish.

I'd make sure the VINs don't fall under the transmission TSB.

Trying to figure out how to read this. The VIN for this vehicle is:
3TMLB5JN6RM######

Based on that last row, does this mean it falls into the before or after? Do the last 6 need to be greater than 011196 to be after?

 

[w463]

This particular one is less than that ^

 

[Sagebrush]

Based on that last row, does this mean it falls into the before or after? Do the last 6 need to be greater than 011196 to be after?

The last six need to be greater.

 

[w463]

The last six need to be greater.

Assuming you mean has to be greater to be considered "safe." So in this case, where the VIN is less than and is within the TSB, what does that mean for me? Anything to worry about outisde of being without a vehicle for maybe a week? Any other costs that I could incur if something were to happen? Trying to gauge the risk here, and if its a "Definitely avoid" or a "might be fine but proceed with caution"

 

[izzy]

Assuming you mean has to be greater to be considered "safe." So in this case, where the VIN is less than and is within the TSB, what does that mean for me? Anything to worry about outisde of being without a vehicle for maybe a week? Any other costs that I could incur if something were to happen? Trying to gauge the risk here, and if its a "Definitely avoid" or a "might be fine but proceed with caution"

I would just mention it to the salesman to see if they can give you a discount on the extended warranty.. then buy the longest extended warranty you can (10/125) and drive the shit out of it.. Certified already comes with 7yr/100k drivetrain.

Do your trans drain and fills every 30k (half the Toyota interval) and don't worry about it.

If it fails within 125k/100k you're covered and if it makes it to those miles without failing you're probably fine.

Don't forget anything you see online is a negative bias. The people reporting issues are outnumbered significantly by those without any issues.

My trans is out of the TSB range and I've seen people online report "symptoms" that seem like normal auto transmission behavior to me.. so I wouldn't go too crazy reading into every shift.

 

[Sagebrush]

So in this case, where the VIN is less than and is within the TSB, what does that mean for me? Anything to worry about outside of being without a vehicle for maybe a week? Any other costs that I could incur if something were to happen?

It's a known problem that the early transmissions had swarf (metal left over from manufacturing) that causes the transmission to fail. If it happens, I have no idea how long it may take for your dealer to get a transmission and install it. Perhaps there's a backlog, but maybe not. If it fails, you'll need a tow of course.

If it were me, I wouldn't want a truck whose tranny may go south and leave me on the side of the road.

These are great trucks...

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